A Professional Photographer’s Take on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro Camera

To say the Huawei Mate 20 Pro wins best smartphone camera of the year is a bold statement, but it’s one that’s warranted and well-deserved

In 2018, all things Huawei point to a giant leap forward in terms of innovation. With its superior battery life, the introduction of the breakthrough Kirin 980 processor and remarkable display quality, the new flagship smartphones equal new heights for the tech brand. When it came to developing the Mate 20 Pro’s next-gen camera, there was no way Huawei was going to scrimp on features. In this arena, it set the bar even higher.

“Building on the foundation of the Huawei P20 Series’ camera system, [we] augmented the Mate 20 with a powerful addition: the 16mm Leica Ultra-Wide-Angle Lens. This wider perspective creates a sense of spaciousness and a three-dimensional effect to the images,” shares the brand. “The new camera system also supports macro photography, which produces crisp images of objects that are placed as close as 2.5cm from the lens. The added ultra-wide-angle lens and macro support completes the feature set of the camera system, elevating it to a truly all-round camera that is ready to capture any and all action.”

Broken down further: the Leica Triple Camera unique to the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is armed with a 40MP wide angle lens for the main camera, a secondary 20MP camera and finally, an 8MP telephoto camera, allowing it to support a wide range of focal lengths and mimic results from professional cameras. For regular smartphone users and photography enthusiasts alike, this means a rare occasion where a smartphone gets an A+ rating across the board.

For professional photographer Edrick Bruel, who got to spend a day testing out the Huawei Mate 20 Pro camera, the verdict is the same. The photos from his test-drive experience—with no retouching, external accessories or fancy tools in the process—prove that the Leica-powered smartphone camera is leagues ahead of its competitors.

“The specs in action and in real life are just as impressive as they are on paper,” shares Bruel. “Professional-level photos are easy to achieve and all the advanced technical aspects are compressed into an uncomplicated camera app that anyone can get a hang of.”

For Bruel, the wide lens feature, right off the bat, is an instant win for the Mate 20 Pro. It makes capturing photos itself an enjoyable experience, allowing users to relish in a clear, unobstructed view of their subject. “Camera settings are also readily available and easy to tap on, switch to or make adjustments with,” he adds. “It helps that you have a spacious camera app interface to work with, too.”

Beneath the OLED display on this interface, users have the most comprehensive camera settings ever found in a smartphone at their disposal. The basic camera modes, photo, portrait and video, actually prove to be not-so basic, since they come with a customizable bokeh effect and AI-powered beautification upgrade. Not only are images bursting with color, the dimensions created by the Mate 20 Pro camera make visuals—down to each intricate detail—come to life.

Even tricky photography settings don’t stand a chance. For Bruel, a major advantage the Mate 20 Pro has over other smartphone cameras is its advanced night mode. “The capabilities in low light are definitely another notable feature,” he says. “The quality of the photos I took were not just preserved, but enhanced; even then, they didn’t look artificially tweaked or ‘forced’ and nothing about my photos were compromised in order to compensate for a poor light source.”

Even photographs taken with the night mode coupled with a 3x optical zoom look stunning:

Whether users take the time to learn and tinker with the comprehensive camera settings (ISO, shutter speed, white balance and more) or opt for the straightforward point-shoot-click technique expected of a smartphone camera, the Mate 20 Pro reigns supreme. Armed with bonus features like slow-mo, panorama, monochrome, 3D panorama, time-lapse and underwater photography, there’s really no need to look elsewhere.

Overall, Bruel gives the Mate 20 Pro camera a 9 out of 10 with a sound reason for the single con facing off with all the pros: “The only con is admittedly a matter of preference,” explains Bruel. “I personally like my photos a little raw with room for my own post-processing. Knowing me, I won’t want my photos to come out pin-sharp all the time, which happens to be the default with this camera. If you prefer the straight-to-HD finish of the photos though, chances are this smartphone will get a 10/10 from you.”

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro doubles up on features that elevate smartphone photography and takes it to new heights. Come along for the ride when you get the Huawei Mate 20 Pro with Globe Postpaid’s ThePLAN, the most customizable postpaid subscription available in the Philippines, and get it with a FREE Huawei Wireless Charger valued at P3,990 when you purchase it online through the Globe Shop.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is priced at P2,799 with an easy P800 monthly cash-out when purchased with ThePLAN 1999. With ThePLAN 1999, meanwhile, it’s priced at P2,399 with a P400 monthly cash out.

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